Why Spongebob the Musical is important!!!! (ikik this is a marvel blog but i’m too lazy to make a bway one so just let me have this)
I’ve seen a lot of unfounded hate about the spongebob musical (official name: Spongebob Squarepants, the Broadway Musical), mostly along the lines of “it’s spongebob so it’s automatically dumb” and I’m going to be honest, I was one of those people too. But this show is so much MORE than the tv show and it deserves all of the critical acclaim it has received, so here’s why!
on a basic level: the music is so catchy, the minute I heard bikini bottom day I was hooked (plus some of the composers include David Bowie, Sarah Bareilles, Panic! at the Disco, and Cyndi Lauper!)
Legit I only listen to spongebob and hadestown now, it’s a bit of a problem but it’s also really not
THE SET okay just look up one (1) picture of it it’s SO PRETTY the lighting and the detail and the under-the-sea essence it’s just so good i stan the spongebob set
DIVERSITY DIVERSITY DIVERSITY the cast! is so! diverse! i believe it’s color blind cast, but there are no “token poc” and it’s beautiful (Sandy herself is played by a black actress!)
speaking of the cast, they’re just truly amazing people. if you watch lilli cooper’s broadway.com vlog, you get a sense of how fun and kind and caring they are and also how TALENTED they are
it’s an entire political allegory. the entire musical is a political allegory
it addresses multiple problems like discrimination, dictatorial leaderships, capitalism, elitism, the war on science and SO MUCH MORE
it gives an accessible way for kids to learn about these problems and how to face them
it also teaches kids important lessons about friendship and empowering yourself through recognizable characters
not to mention it’s a genuinely fun show. like there are skateboard tricks and lots of jokes and CONFETTI?? and the conductor conducts with a spatula it’s really great
in conclusion, you can criticize the spongebob musical once you’ve done your research about why it’s helpful and a great addition to broadway
also go listen to spongebob (on spotify or buy the cast album which you won’t regret) and see the spongebob musical at the palace theater
